Watch Quiz Show

"Fifty million people watched but no one saw a thing."

Released in 1994, the film Quiz Show is set in the 1950's, during the time of what many call the Golden Age of Television. Starring Ralph Feinnes, Rob Morrow, John Turturro and Paul Scofield, it was directed by Robert Redford. This was a time when television was new and sponsors controlled just about every facet of broadcasting. The story revolves around one of the first big scandals involving television. Ralph Feinnes' character, Charles Van Doren, was a minor celebrity in his own right, having come from a very successful family of intellectuals and writers. As Herbert Stempel wins game after game on the very popular quiz show "21", Van Doren unseats him and because the audience loves him, which in turn means the sponsors love him too, they want him to keep winning. To insure his success, the shows producers feed Van Doren the answers before hand.

The movie focuses on Van Doren's inner turmoil as he wrestles with the immorality of his actions. In the meantime, Rob Morrow's character, a government lawyer, starts digging into allegations the fix is in while befriending Van Doren.